The following poems come from the 7 ¼ floppy record borders included in the box bp, published in February 1967 by Coach House Press (Toronto, Ontario). Also included in the box are Journeying & the Returns, a flip-book WILD THING, and Letters Home (14 leaves and a pamphlet in an envelope). The entirety of borders is available from Coach House Books (http://www.chbooks.com).
2.
The following poems come from the first side of the phonodisc Motherlove, published in 1968 by Allied Record Corporation (Toronto, Ontario). The second side of the phonodisc will be available on the forthcoming 2-CD collection The Collected Sound Poems of bpNichol, to be published by Talonbooks (http://www.talonbooks.com/).
4.
The following are all of the poems from the split 7” single Appendix, published in 1978 by Black Moss Press (BM 101) (Windsor, Ontario); this was issued as part of Sean O’Huigin’s POE TREE: A Simple Introduction to Experimental Poetry. Recording by R. Hindley-Smith and Starborne Productions.
5.
The following are all of the poems from the 60-minute cassette Ear Rational: Sound Poems 1966-1980, published in 1982 by Membrane Press New Fire Tapes (Milwaukee). Note that beside each poem-title is the year in which Nichol composed the piece. Making brief appearances are the voices of Michael Dean, Paul Dutton, Steve McCaffery, David Penhale, Steven Smith (now Steven Ross Smith), and Richard Truhlar (see jwcurry’s “Notes toward a beepliography,” Open Letter 6 th series, No. 5-6: Summer-Fall 1986: 249-270.) Nichol also included a brief statement inside the 5-panel offset lead for the cassette:
“Dada Lama” was recorded at CBC Studios (Toronto) circa 1969. “The Alphabet Game” was recorded at CBC Studios (Toronto) circa 1972. “Acres Rare Meet” was recorded live in Toronto, October 1977. All others were recorded at the studios of T.R.G. January 10, 1982.
“Cosmic Piece for Orchestra & Chorus” is performed by Steve McCaffery (voice & vocorder) & bpNichol (voice & cheap cassette). “Acres Rare Meet” is performed by Michael Dean, Paul Dutton, Steve McCaffery, David Penhale, Steven Smith & Richard Truhlar. The woman's voice on “The Alphabet Game” is that of a friend of the producer who, unfortunately, i have lost all record of. All other voices are my own.
Ear Rational contains all the single voice pieces i composed
in the years 1970 thru 1980 other than sections of The Martyrology
Bk V & a part of the May Day Book. In addition i have included:
a live recording of the only seven voice piece i've done, “Acres
Rare Meet”; an alternate version of “Dada Lama,” previously
unreleased; the first adequate realization of my composition “Cosmic
Piece for Orchestra & Chorus”; & the only remaining unrecorded
single voice text from the 60's – “Ballads Of The Restless
Are.” In the seventies i put the bulk of my energy in sound into
composing for & with the Four Horsemen. In the single voice pieces
the interest began to shift toward the more narrative & prose-based
concerns evident in the most recent compositions on this tape, “Interrupted
Nap” & “Art in Upheaval.” This cassette is dedicated
to Steve McCaffery, my partner in the Crimes in both the Toronto Research
Group & the Four Horsemen.
6.
The following poems are live solo performances by bpNichol. This material comes from the archives of The Four Horsemen, courtesy
Paul Dutton. This first piece was performed with The Four Horsemen during the 99¢ Floating Theatre Festival at the Frick Fine Arts Building, University of Pittsburgh, on November 10th, 1978 (Day 2 of 3).
8.
The following pieces were read by bpNichol during the launch in Toronto of Zygal: A Book of Mysteries and Translations (Coach House Press, 1985) on February 20th, 1986.
9.
The following poems were recorded by bpNichol in Torino, Italy in April 1987 and were released as a cassette tape in 1990 as part of Paté de Voix 4 (an imprint of Offerta Speciale, published by Carla Bertola and Alberto Vitacchio). The voices of Carla Bertola and Alberto Vitacchio appear in “And this is what it means when meaning’s over” and, as Bertola and Vitacchio put it, “are there to remember our friendship and love for him.”
Contact Lori Emerson with comments or suggestions about
this page. Thanks to Dennis Tedlock, James H. McNulty
Chair, Department of English, University at Buffalo, for assistance
with this project